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Napolitano: Immigration priority tops cyber

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano reasserted Monday that cybersecurity reform remains a "high priority" for the administration on Capitol Hill — but she emphasized immigration right now tops the list.

"We were disappointed Congress didn't act last year," Napolitano said of the botched cybersecurity debate in 2012, during a POLITICO Playbook Breakfast event commemorating the 10th anniversary of the agency. Going forward, she said the White House "will support that effort" on Capitol Hill to return to a bill "and do whatever we can to move it forward."

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Pressed, however, on where cybersecurity ranks on the White House's legislative wishlist, Napolitano replied, "It's a very high priority, but I would say, frankly, that our No. 1 priority in terms of legislation is immigration. It is high time for immigration reform."

The White House views congressional action on cybersecurity as imperative even though President Barack Obama signed this month an executive order implementing some reform. Those actions still left important policy gaps.

The administration, on its own, can begin shoring up the digital defenses of critical infrastructure while helping the public and private sectors share threat data. Only a new law, however, can grant DHS new, expanded hiring authority, Napolitano said on the panel Monday. Also, Congress — not the White House — can remove all of the barriers to information-sharing, including liability protections sought by business interests, and create incentives to spur cybersecurity improvements at power plants, water systems and other forms of critical infrastructure.

The secretary said she "wouldn't put odds" on whether Congress can solicit the sort of agreement that eluded lawmakers throughout the 112th Congress. Still, she expressed hope for swift action because the administration feels it's "dealing with a Congress now whose basic knowledge is greater" than previous sessions.

The other former leaders of the Department of Homeland Security agreed. "If not this year, by the end of next year," predicted Tom Ridge, the first DHS secretary and an adviser to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on cybersecurity matters as chairman of its National Security Task Force.

This article first appeared on POLITICO Pro at 10:01 a.m. on March 4, 2013.